


War of the Heart

by VulpesVulpes713



Series: Voltron Demigods [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Demigod AU, Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith and Shiro are Siblings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, Laith, M/M, Multi, Percy Jackson AU, Sort Of, Voltron, child of aphrodite lance, child of ares keith, klance, klance angst, klance fluff, quest time baby, vld, voltron demigod
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-04 23:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13374930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVulpes713/pseuds/VulpesVulpes713
Summary: It's common among demigods to seek the thrill of danger; to want excitement and the chance of a quest to prove their worth. But for Keith, finding Lance isn't some leisurely activity. It's a matter of survival, though whose, he's not sure.All he knows is that with each passing day, every breath he takes is one that Lance may not, and Keith can't risk losing the one thing he had come to cherish so dearly. Not again. Not this time.And Lance, confused by the sudden appearance of his sister after all these years, doesn't know what to think. The stories she tells him don't line up with his memories, though how much faith can he put in those to begin with? Seeing as he only just got them back.The stranger tells him stories as well, and Lance can feel his grip on reality slipping, not knowing truth from lie; fact from fiction. There's a boy, he recalls, who made him feel safe and protected. But then, so does the stranger, and Lance is unsure of who to trust anymore.And though prophecy is a fickle thing, only truth will seize the war, spoken aloud not once before.





	1. Prologue: A rude awakening

**Author's Note:**

> we're baaackkkkk
> 
> And bringing more action (hopefully) than ever!! Get ready for some demigod shenanigans my dudes, because I have a quest planned for these demigods, and a plot this time. No more willy-nilly writing!

The day was passing at an obnoxiously slow pace, as if it were hosting a snail race and the course had been drenched in honey.

 

The clock hands weren’t moving, though Keith was adamant that time was passing. It  _ had  _ to be. That was how time worked! Still, each glance up at the small circular clock above Coran’s desk showed the same result.

 

_ Half-past three. _

 

Keith narrowed his eyes as he glared at the thing, ensuring that the second hand was actually moving and not just ticking for no reason at all. But knowing how things worked in this camp meant for demigod children, Keith wouldn’t doubt if the clock was actually a sentimental creature taunting him by not showing the proper time, because  _ surely _ he had been waiting for close to fifty minutes now, and yet, according to the device, only fourteen had gone by. 

 

_ Preposterous.  _

 

_ It has to be fake. _

 

He stood, determined to find out, and was in the process of clambering onto the top of Coran’s desk when someone cleared their throat behind him.

 

“Seats weren’t comfortable enough?”

 

Keith whirled, nearly losing his footing as he spun to meet the person who had spoken. Pidge was standing with her hands at her hips, a bundle nearly as big as her upper body tucked neatly under her arm. Keith jumped down off the desk, brushing off his shirt and shooting a pointed look up at the clock.

 

“Is that thing broken?” he asked, ignoring the comment, and Pidge raised a brow as she glanced up in the direction he had indicated. She turned back to him with half-lidded eyes.

 

“The clock? No. It’s in perfect working condition. I know because I made it.”

 

“ _ What?! _ ” Keith rubbed at his eyes, not wanting to insult Pidge but adamant that there was still something wrong. “What time is it then?”

 

Pidge shrugged, adjusting the bundle and replying in a bored voice. 

 

“You can’t read it?”

 

“I can,” Keith felt his cheeks flush as Pidge blinked slowly up at him, full of doubt. “I  _ can! _ It just feels like no time has gone by and I’ve been waiting for _ ever _ .”

 

“Oooohh,” Pidge drawled, as if everything suddenly made sense. “Were you staring at it this whole time?”

 

Keith nodded, wondering what that had to do with anything.

 

“Right, yeah,” Pidge went on, “it doesn’t like when people stare. Makes it nervous.”

 

_ What. _

 

“Excuse me?” he asked, looking back up at the clock and seeing that it was still stuck at three-thirty. “How can a clock get nervous?”

 

“Not the clock you dummy,” Pidge answered, “the spirit possessing it.”

 

_ Ok. WHAT. _

 

Pidge must have known what Keith was thinking, as she laughed and set the bundle down on Coran’s desk before jumping up on the chair, much like Keith had been in the process of doing prior to being caught. 

 

“It’s just a confused nature spirit,” she explained, tapping the clock face lightly. “Doesn’t much like the outdoors, so it resides within objects like this. I call it Knut.” 

 

Keith blinked up at her, not fully believing but also not wanting to reject the possibility of a nature spirit living inside a clock either. Though he had only been at the camp for a little under three weeks, he had come to learn not to doubt so much. The demigod world was a magical one, to say the least, and Keith had experienced a bit too much of it in recent times to go on pretending all the stories were impossible. 

 

_ Like those giants Shiro and I fought. And the claiming, and my sword and, _ he frowned; a slight tugging in his chest making his heart ache. He felt as if there was something he was missing; a detail from the past that he had forgotten, but try as he might to recall it, Keith just couldn’t. 

 

_ Whatever. It’s probably nothing. Shiro did say post traumatic stress was a thing...so it’s likely just that. Besides, I’m still recovering from, well,  _ everything _ that happened since finding out I was part God. _

 

Keith shook his head, a growing pain near his temples making his memories foggy, so he abandoned the effort of recalling them. 

 

“So this... _ spirit,”  _ he asked Pidge, who was watching him with gleaming eyes.

 

“Knut.”

 

“Right,  _ Knut _ ,” he amended. “It hides out in clocks? Can you tell it to stop so I know what time it actually is?”

 

Pidge shrugged, a smile tugging at her lips.

 

“Just ask it. Say hello and all that. You were being very rude by staring you know. Best to apologize before you get cursed, or something.”

 

“That can happen?!” 

 

Pidge nodded, and Keith harrumphed, turning back to face the clock with increasing wariness. 

 

“Um…” he began, and Pidge nudged him from behind. 

 

“You have to get closer.”

 

“Of course I do,” he grumbled, but clambered up onto the desk regardless. “Hey, uh...Knut,” he stammered, glancing back to see Pidge hastily bite her lower lip and urge him onward. “I um...I’m sorry? I guess? For staring...please don’t curse me or-” he broke off as a fit of giggles emerged from Pidge, and twisted around to see her clutching her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle the noise. Only, she wasn’t the only other person in the room with him anymore.

 

Allura and Shiro were at the top of the stairs, eyeing him curiously.

 

“What are you doing?” Allura asked, descending with Shiro in tow. 

 

Keith felt his face heat, and did his best to explain.

 

“I was apologizing to Knut for staring-” he trailed off, realizing how preposterous the statement sounded once spoken aloud. Pidge was nearly in tears at that point.

 

“To who?” Allura questioned, and Keith pointed to the clock behind him.

 

“The nature spirit in the…” he paused, frowning as it all clicked into place. 

 

_ Oh Pidge you fucker! _

 

The girl was avoiding his gaze, lifting her glasses to wipe away the dampness that had gathered there from laughing too hard. Allura was smiling now as well, though Shiro looked just as confused as ever.

 

“Keith,” their camp leader explained, “that is but an ordinary clock. Broken too, I think. I believe Pidge here was playing a prank.”

 

_ Yeah go figure, _ he thought in embarrassment, and glared down at Pidge as he jumped off the desk. 

 

“You’re the worst,” he grumbled, and she shot him an innocent grin. 

 

“I had to! You’re so gullible!” 

 

“Uh yeah,” Keith quipped, crossing his arms over his chest. “Only because last time I didn’t believe you there was a winged horse trying to take a bite out of my arm!”

 

Pidge burst out laughing again, likely thinking back to several days ago when she and Hunk had given him a proper tour of camp. And of  _ course _ Keith had doubted the existence of Pegasi! And, yes, maybe he had screamed a little when one went to chomp down on his arm in the stables. 

 

And...ok yeah. He had screamed a whole lot more when he had seen the feathers. 

 

_ Thank god no one has phones around here, otherwise I’m sure Hunk would have posted some very embarrassing photos of me online. _

 

“Oh gods,” Pidge managed to get out between breaths. “Your face was priceless then.”

 

“You were hardly any better yourself Pidge,” Allura chimed in, and Keith glanced over her way. “I think you cowered behind the hay bales.”

 

Pidge’s face had turned a bright red, which was gratifying to see. Made Keith feel better to know she got embarrassed as well.

 

“How would  _ you _ know!” she shot back. “You weren’t there! You just heard that from…” she trailed off, eyebrows lowering in concentration. 

 

“From who?” Keith pushed, and Pidge blinked after a moment, shaking her head as she huffed out a breath. 

 

“Don’t remember,” she said. “But it doesn’t matter because it’s not true. I just don’t like horses.”

 

Keith hummed in doubt, and Pidge shot him a glare. 

 

_ Ha. Now we’re even.  _

 

_ Well, sort of. I’m definitely getting you back for the clock thing.  _

 

Pidge, as it turned out, was one of the first friends Keith made after coming to camp. Sure, Hunk was friendly enough, but he was usually with Shay, who was awesome from what Keith had gathered. They trained together in her free time, and was a quick learner. Keith knew that he would be no match for her now, and thought back to how he had just  _ barely _ managed to win that very first fight against her weeks ago. 

 

The rest of that day was sort of a blur, which Keith passed off as exhaustion following the skirmish, but he could recall how intelligently Shay fought. 

 

And though he hadn’t had the opportunity to genuinely battle it out with her during the Godly Games a few days later, Keith had seen her fights, and he knew his win against her had been a complete fluke.

 

And Hunk? 

 

Yikes. Keith hoped he never had to fight that guy. He was a tank, and though Keith could tell he was holding back, his attacks were still powerful enough to make even the Ares kids scared. 

 

Well, Marcus at least. Ben and Kat were hardly intimidated by anyone, and Tiff didn’t seem to care either way. The only ones she seemed to worry about were the Aphrodite kids, not that they had even competed. At least not in the four person events, seeing as they only had three members in their cabin. 

 

Keith wasn’t sure why Tiff was wary of them. Sure, they fought decently, from what he had seen, but it wasn’t anything as calculated as the Athena children, or precise as the Apollo kids. All she had said when he had asked where her concerns stemmed from was something cryptic like ‘I just have this feeling they’re powerful. I don’t know why, but I just do.’

 

Keith hadn’t questioned it further. 

 

The Aphrodite girls were not much of an interest to him, though he had felt drawn to their cabin for unknown reasons. Marcus had said that was normal though, especially for new recruits, and that it would eventually fade.

 

But many a night Keith would walk by on his way to his own cabin and slow his pace…watching the door as if expecting something to pop out that would explain his hesitations. 

 

Nothing ever did however, and though the tug was still there, Keith had taken to ignoring it, same as with the woods.

 

For some reason he had felt a need to venture into it following the test with his Blade of Marmora, but Allura had cautioned him against it. The forest was filled with strange beasts, and her borders couldn’t always keep them out, and that his weapon might draw them in.

 

He had argued that the test had failed, with nothing coming to the clearing to fight him once the blade was activated, but Allura hadn’t been convinced. Apparently it needed further testing to ensure it was safe, but after nearly a week of more trials with little to no results to explain the monster spikes, or cases of further increased activity, other priorities had taken over. 

 

Like the Godly Games, which had finally ended a few days ago. Still, it was difficult to ignore the desire to explore the trees, and for some reason Keith just felt this  _ need  _ to take this one certain path leading away from the camp. He hadn’t mentioned that to the others though, knowing what their answers would be, and had taken to busying himself as much as possible to avoid the lure. 

 

_ It’ll pass, _ he would tell himself.  _ It’ll fade. _

 

_ Hopefully. _

 

“What’s that?” Shiro’s voice broke through Keith’s reminisces, and he blinked as he focused back in on the current situation. His brother was pointing at the bundle Pidge had brought, and she beamed as she hurriedly set it down on the ground.

 

“Oh man, you’re gonna love this,” she mumbled to herself as she unwrapped it, then lifted her head to stare up at them all with a proud expression. “This is like, my baby. Or well,  _ Hunk _ sort of helped, so I guess  _ our _ baby…” she made a face, sticking out her tongue as she shivered. “Ew gross, that sounded weird. What I’m trying to say is this is really cool and you’re gonna love it.”

 

She uncovered the last blanket, revealing a shiny metallic looking arm. Keith’s mouth fell open as he beheld it, and glanced up to see Shiro ogling it in wonder.

 

“Is that...for me?” he asked tentatively, as if not hoping to believe it. Allura patted his shoulder with a fond smile.

 

“I did say we could make you a new arm,” she whispered, and his cheeks flared pink as he gaped down at her.

 

“New and  _ better, _ ” Pidge interrupted the moment, hurriedly lifting the arm and urging Shiro to take it. He did, holding it between two hands and shaking his head slowly as he took it all in. Keith edged closer, noticing the immaculate detail that had gone into making the thing. 

 

“It’s made from a magnesium alloy Hunk and I have been developing,” Pidge explained. “Well, me mostly, but Hunk built the frame and the nerve endings so that it would function like a normal arm.”

 

Shiro’s head shot up at that.

 

“Did you say ‘normal’ arm?”

 

Pidge nodded eagerly, taking the device back and setting it on Coran’s desk. She pointed to several wires and dials Keith knew not the function of, and began rambling away at the specs.

 

“This will connect to a piece we’ve developed for your upper arm, which attaches here,” she pointed to a large circular bit in the middle, “and can read the nerve messages sent from the brain to transmit them into code. Because, really, that’s all it is. Codes. It was pretty straightforward developing those once I got Rover to help differentiate which each meant.” She used her finger to trace down the prosthetic as she continued to speak. “These all connect to synthetic wires made to replicate muscle fibers and bone structure, so the arm, hand and fingers will all move just like normal. It was hard to convince Hunk to stick to the design with that one...he kept insisting on adding double joints and what have you. But Allura’s blueprints were very specific.”

 

Shiro’s face was unreadable, and had Keith not known any better, he would have said he had gone into shock. 

 

He was almost convinced that he had when his brother finally spoke.

 

“I can’t believe you guys did this for me…” he whispered, and then all at once his eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and Pidge stepped back in panic.

 

“Is it-do you not like it?” 

 

“No!” Shiro hastily reassured her, wrapping her up in a hug. “No it’s perfect. Thank you!” He broke away and turned to Allura, giving her the same treatment. Her face darkened, but she returned the gesture after only a moment of hesitation.

 

“Thank you,” Keith heard him whisper to her, and then something else that he couldn’t quite decipher. Whatever it was though, it had Allura’s eyes growing wide, and Shiro was grinning as he stepped back. 

 

_ Oh man. You two are gross, _ Keith thought, but was smiling himself. His brother deserved to be happy, and he and Allura had been taking things slow for a few weeks now. It was nice to see them together, sharing smiles and stealing glances. But at the same time it made Keith’s insides twist uncomfortably, almost as if his body felt like it should be feeling the same things as Shiro and Allura. 

 

That he should have someone’s hand to hold as well, or a person to share secrets with. But more than a want, Keith could almost swear the emotions brought on by seeing Shiro and Allura together, and even Hunk and Shay, were not a petty jealousy. They were almost painful, the feelings, and he would call them heartache simply for lack of a better word.

 

But didn’t heartache require someone to miss? A different miss, not like how he felt about his mother, or his past life prior to all this godly business. A miss that involved the splitting of his heart right down the center. Which made no sense, since Keith didn’t have anyone that could have impacted him in that way. 

 

No one to give part of his heart to. 

 

It was disorientating, and always made Keith feel guilty whenever he felt it.

 

_ But surely if there had been someone like that in my life I would have remembered. Right?  _

 

“Try it on!” Pidge exclaimed suddenly, breaking Keith’s train of thought. She was clapping her hands excitedly, and Shiro rubbed the back of his neck shyly as he glanced down at the thing. 

 

“I need to take off my shirt,” he started, and Pidge simply nodded.

 

“I know, so hurry up!”

 

Keith snorted, seeing Shiro’s face turn a deep scarlet as he stole a peek in Allura’s direction, but the daughter of Athena wasn’t coming up with any alternatives, so he sighed and did as asked.

 

_ Ha. Like she would ruin the opportunity to see Shiro shirtless. _

 

In one movement his top was off, and Keith bit back a laugh as he saw Allura’s eyes wander down his torso, full of wonder and want. 

 

Pidge wasn’t impacted in the slightest, and blocked most of the view as she sat Shiro down in the chair at Coran’s desk and tugged off his prosthetic. She picked up the newer one, and after fitting the other pieces in place, attached the arm. 

 

A few moments went by where she adjusted different levers and locked down certain clips, but after ten minutes of calibrations, she finally stood back.

 

“Alright, try it.”

 

Shiro swallowed thickly, and Keith stepped closer to see what would happen. With his old arm, Shiro had been limited in movement. The fingers could open and close, but not to the extent of a real hand. And the joints were always stiff, never moving as smoothly as flesh and bone. He had gotten used to using it sure, but Keith knew that his brother had always grieved the loss of his arm. 

 

So he watched, praying to whoever and  _ whatever  _ was listening that this new arm would be different; that it would make Shiro’s life just a little bit easier. 

 

He could tell Shiro was hesitating; breath held as he stared down at the piece. It was Allura who urged him on.

 

“Go on,” she encouraged tenderly, and Shiro nodded once. 

 

It was a simple motion, the one he chose, but both he and Keith grinned when they saw the wiggle of fingers. It was something his old arm would never have been able to do, at least, not so efficiently. Shiro hurriedly explored his new range of motion, from bending the arm to twisting the wrist, it was the most mundane of things. And yet, out of all that Keith had experienced at the camp, seeing Shiro be able to use his arm like it was real was probably the most magical. 

 

“Amazing,” his brother murmured, and Pidge was nodding as she instructed him on what to try next.

 

Keith was grinning as Shiro met his eyes, and then his brother was raising his arm to show him.

 

“Look!” he exclaimed. “I’m a real boy!”

 

Keith rolled his eyes as he laughed.

 

“More like Ironman. It looks so cool.” 

 

“Oh it is,” Pidge informed them, wiping her hands off on her pants as she gathered up the blankets the arm had been wrapped in. “Hunk and I programmed it to do a bunch of neat things! Like, there’s a control for superheating, and one where a blade comes out here-” 

 

“What?” Allura interrupted, eyebrows furrowing as she stared Pidge down. “I don’t recall adding in those features.”

 

Pidge shrunk back. 

 

“Uh, yeah, what? Sorry...nothing cool. Just a regular old arm…”

 

“Pidge what did-” Allura demanded, but Pidge was out the front door before she could finish her sentence. Shiro was holding his arm away from himself now, likely worried it would explode at any given time after Pidge’s confession, and Keith stepped forward.

 

“Hidden blades are awesome,” he said, and Allura huffed beside him.

 

“Maybe so,” she admitted, “but knowing those two, a hidden blade is the least this thing is capable of. I’ll have to get ahold of Hunk at one point and get a detailed list of all the ‘additions’.” 

 

“I’ll come with you,” Shiro stood, donning his shirt as he wiggled his fingers again. “I need to thank that genius of a man.”

 

Allura smiled kindly.

 

“I do as well, but for the time being I have other matters to attend to. I’ll speak with him if I see him tonight.” 

 

“Do you need any help?” Shiro asked as she turned back up to her office, and she paused on the step. 

 

“Likely, yes, but I would rather you spend some time figuring out your new arm. Get to know it better.”

 

Shiro didn’t look too pleased with that response, but nodded nonetheless. He stared down at the new arm for a moment, then motioned for Keith to join him.

 

“Want to train?” he asked, and Keith grinned.

 

“Hell yeah I do! But wait,” he said, and moved passed his brother to approach Allura. “I wanted to know if I could have another sword made, if possible.”

 

She considered for a moment, and where Keith had been expecting resistance on the matter, was pleased to find the opposite. 

 

“I think that wise,” she agreed. “The Blade of Marmora, though apparently not the reason behind the increased monster activity from a few weeks ago, is still largely unknown in its abilities. I would much rather you train with a different weapon for the time being.”

 

“Awesome-” Keith began, but Allura wasn’t finished.

 

“However, there are plenty of spare weapons around camp for you to choose from. There is no need for you to have one made.”

 

Keith pouted, his shoulders slumping forward as his brows lowered.

 

“But none of the other weapons feel right. They don’t have the same weight distribution or length, and Ben has been kicking my butt in training because of it.”

 

Allura looked ready to argue, but relented; expression softening as she exhaled.

 

“Fine. Alright. You can put in a request with the Hephaestus cabin,” she said, “but nothing outlandish. I don’t want to see a flamethrower or a lightning rod type spear anywhere on my campground, you hear me? We have enough disasters as it is.”

 

Keith saluted her, smiling widely in victory as he marched back towards Shiro. 

 

“I’ll let Pidge know. I heard she’s designed some really cool stuff in the past,” he called over his shoulder, and Allura’s face dropped. 

 

“I’d really rather you chose anyone other than Pidge-” she started, but Keith was already dragging Shiro away, giving his brother only a moment to say a quick goodbye before the door shut behind them.

 

He jumped down off the porch and began walking towards the cabins, with Shiro running to catch up.

 

“That was rude,” he commented when he approached. “And I didn’t get to make plans for later.”

 

“You’ll see her in like, an hour. Chill. I want to go talk to Pidge about my new weapon.”

 

“Allura said she didn’t want Pidge designing it,” his brother warned, and Keith gave him a look through heavily lidded eyes.

 

“That’s because she doesn’t want me to have a weapon that’s  _ cool. _ And Pidge already offered.”

 

“Did she?” 

 

“Yeah. She’s only done a few, but she showed me the designs she had for a really fancy looking bow that she made for someone here.”

 

Shiro cocked an eyebrow, looking skeptical.

 

“And who might that be? I’d like to see what kind of modifications she used on it and if I should be worried about anything similar in this,” he lifted his arm, and Keith shrugged.

 

“No idea who. She couldn’t remember.”

 

“Very vague,” Shiro mulled. “I still think we should ask Allura for someone else-”

 

“Ah c’mon,” Keith cut him off. “Pidge is great! And Allura just worries too much. Besides,” he grinned, picking up Shiro’s hand and turning it about. “I want to see what this can do.”

 

Shiro huffed, flexing his fingers this way and that to test the limit of their motion. So far the arm could do everything his real one could, which had both brothers giddy with excitement and hope. It was so much more than they could ever have anticipated, and technology like this just didn’t exist in the outside world. Not to Keith’s knowledge at least.

 

And even if it did, there would be no way he or Shiro would have been able to afford it. 

 

“Mom would be crying right now,” he said quietly as he let go of Shiro’s hand and stared down at the ground. “She would be so happy, and would probably adopt Pidge and Hunk right on the spot.”

 

Shiro chuckled, and then suddenly his arms were wrapping around Keith, pulling him in close for a tight hug.

 

“She would,” he mumbled, patting his back. “I knew she always felt guilty about what happened. No matter how much I reassured her, my arm was her burden. And now, well...” he broke away, holding Keith at arms length and ruffling his hair. “I’m just forever grateful we made it here. I feel so much safer. And just...calm, for once in my life. It’s nice.”

 

Keith could only nod his head in agreement. He and Shiro hadn’t had time to properly mourn their mother since being on the run, but they had stolen moments each day to remember something about her; to celebrate her life. 

 

But even as his heart healed, Keith still felt as if there was a part missing; like a piece to a machine that had dropped down between the cracks that he yet to find it. It was upsetting really, since everything seemed to be in order, and no matter how hard he thought, he just couldn’t put a finger on it; couldn’t reach the piece. 

 

His face must have been displaying his thoughts, as Shiro was quick to pick up on the shift in mood.

 

“Hey, you ok?” he asked, and Keith sighed.

 

“I am, yeah. There’s just….I don’t know. I feel like I’m forgetting something. Something important. But no matter what I do, I just can’t think of what it is, and it makes me feel bad whenever I’m enjoying myself here, almost like I shouldn’t be.”

 

Shiro frowned, dropping his hands to his side as he thought.

 

“It could be survivors guilt. Or stress. I mean, we did go through a lot together getting to the camp.”

 

Keith shook his head, feeling his hair brush the back of his neck.

 

“No, it’s...it’s after that I think. Like, I can remember all we did up to the giants, but after that, things get fuzzy. I can’t make a clear image in my head.”

 

“Have you spoken with the healers?” Shiro asked. “Maybe they can give you some of that ambrosia stuff-”

 

“No,” Keith cut in, then altered his statement. “I mean, I don’t think it’s something like an injury. I think it’s deeper than that.”

 

His brother was silent for a long while, and Keith hastily reassured him, not wanting to sour the happiness of his new arm with something as trivial as bad memory. 

 

“But I’m sure it’s just stress, like you said. Or the aftermath of a concussion. I’ll let Allura know don’t worry,” he added when he saw Shiro open his mouth. “And I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

 

Shiro smiled down at him, patting the top of his head with his new appendage and heading off towards their cabin to pick up their gear. 

 

“Alright then champ,” he said. “I’m holding you to that though.” Keith huffed out a breathy laugh, hurrying to catch up with him. “Now let’s go train! I’ve been  _ dying _ just sitting around for so long. And my ribs should be healed enough now to work a bit harder-”

 

He was cut off by a nearby scream, and both brothers tensed at the sound. It had come from a direction to their right, and they ran towards it without hesitation.

 

That was one thing Keith had learned in the demigod camp: if there’s danger, you run at it, not away from it. 

 

A strange contradiction yes, but as exciting and new as everything still was to them, camp life was growing repetitive, and any break from routine was welcome. Not that he would be okay with a monster suddenly appearing in between the cabins looking for a fight, but Keith wasn’t so sure he would mind all that much either. 

 

Maybe it was the Ares blood running through him, but Keith found himself always eager for action, and in no time he and Shiro were joining a small group outside the Aphrodite cabin, where the sound had originated.

 

Keith pushed his way to the front, ever drawn to the building and not bothering to fight its lure in that moment. He saw the girl named Sabrina standing at the front door with her hands at her hips as he approached. 

 

“-then whose is it?!” she was demanding of a boy closest to her- _ Rollo I think-  _ who he raised his hands defensively as she glowered up at him. “Anyone want to confess to sneaking into our cabin? Spying perhaps? Just wait until I tell Allura on all you creeps-” she broke off when he gaze landed on Keith, and he gulped as her eyes narrowed. “Oi, you. Creeper Supreme. Have any idea who this belongs to?”

 

She held up a red jacket, striped white with a high cuff. Keith blinked several times, his breathing growing rapid as he took in the sight. 

 

_ Holy shit...is that...is that- _

 

“Isn’t that your jacket?” Shiro asked him, and Keith jolted as he realized that, yes. It was. 

 

_ How come it’s here? And why did I forget about it? _

 

Sabrina’s eyebrows were high on her forehead as she stormed up to them, shaking the article of clothing in front of Keith’s face.

 

“This is  _ yours _ ?!” she exclaimed as Keith reached out to take it. “Ew! A son of Ares in  _ my _ cabin! What the Hades were you  _ doing _ in there! I thought you were-” she broke off, glancing around at everyone else and lowering her voice. “You know,” she whispered, and Keith felt his face flush as he thought back to their brief exchange way back when.

 

_ Right. Sabrina knows I’m gay. I wonder if anyone else does… _

 

Apparently not, seeing as Sabrina had chosen to keep her voice low to preserve his ‘secret’. Oddly enough however, Keith had been under the impression that he had told everyone already. Or at least  _ showed _ them in some way. 

 

_ But how does that make sense? _

 

He shook it off, deciding to figure out one problem first and go from there. 

 

“How did it get in there?” he wondered aloud, and Sabrina blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

 

“How am  _ I _ supposed to know!”

 

“Doesn’t Yuki make and fix clothing though? Isn’t there that sort of stuff all over your cabin?” Rollo piped up, and Sabrina sent a glare his way. 

 

“Uh, duh. But all that junk is kept in certain places. Like on the floor.” She turned back to Keith, jabbing his jacket with a finger. “ _ This _ little number was found stashed under a pillow in one of the bunks. I found it while cleaning up. So what in Zeus’ name were you doing hiding in one of our beds?”

 

Keith stumbled backward, his mind spinning uncontrollably as he tried to piece it all together.

 

“I-I wasn’t...haven’t been in there ever. It’s-I-” he tried, but then he was falling down into open air, his legs having given out as something clicked in the back of his mind.

 

_ I gave this to someone...Like a week or so ago… _

 

_ But...who?! _

 

_ And why… _

 

“Keith!” Shiro yelped, bending to help him up, but Keith hardly felt the hands on his shoulders, nor the stares of those around him, as he gawked down at the jacket in his hands. And then, on some strange instinct, he brought it up to his nose.

 

_ It smells like...ugh. I can’t place it. But it’s familiar! Why is this familiar!  _

 

A flash of blue darted across his mind, and Keith hastily closed his eyes to try and preserve the image. 

 

_ What- _

 

Blue again. Followed by brown. And a laugh now as well....only it wasn’t one he could place. Still familiar though, somehow...a memory? But of who?

 

His chest was tight; heart beating so quickly he was worried he would pass out at any moment, but there was adrenaline coursing through his veins now, keeping him on his feet.

 

“Keith-” Shiro started, and Keith opened his eyes to see the concern blatantly etched on everyone's faces. He looked over at Sabrina, who was watching in confusion.

 

“Who lives here,” he asked, and she blinked at the question.

 

“Excuse me-”

 

“Who lives here!”

 

She frowned, looking ready to argue but deciding against it.

 

“Me, Yuki and Mariah-”

 

“Anyone else?” he demanded, and she swallowed.

 

“Like, Kevan at one point-”

 

“After that!” Keith yelled, and she fell silent, mouth a thin line as she exchanged a look with Shiro.

 

“Keith, what is going on,” his brother tried, but Keith pushed passed him, squeezing the jacket tight between his hands and willing himself to remember.

 

_ It’s right there. I can feel it! Right there! _

 

“There was someone else,” he heard himself say, not caring how crazy he sounded. “Someone else...who  _ was _ it!”

 

“What are you…” but Sabrina trailed off, her hand going to her head as she gasped in pain, and suddenly Shiro was holding her up as she fell forward. 

 

“Sabrina!” he yelped, and she looked dazed as her eyes met Keith’s. 

 

“There  _ was _ someone else,” she murmured, and Keith felt another piece connect. “I...For some reason I can’t remember his name-”

 

_ His. His! _

 

“Who was it!” he demanded, but Sabrina didn’t seem to hear. She was shaking in Shiro’s arms, her face going paler than it already was as her fingers burrowed into her hair. 

 

“I know him,” she was saying under her breath. “I know his face...his laugh. I know….so why can’t I  _ remember? _ !”

 

“Remember who?” Shiro asked, fear in his voice, and Keith had a feeling he already knew the answer.

 

“My brother,” Sabrina said, and that was all Keith needed. He took off down a path away from the cabins, ignoring Shiro calling after him. His feet knew where to go, almost like they had been this way before.

 

_ And of course they have! I just couldn’t remember! _

 

_ The jacket. Him. Brother...a child of Aphrodite! _

 

It all made sense, and yet Keith still couldn’t put a name to the image slowly taking shape in his mind. He made it to the edge of the woods, diving into the darkness without hesitation. Because this was where his heart had been wanting to go all along. 

 

And for some  _ stupid _ reason he had been ignoring it! 

 

_ Since when do I listen to my head! I always act on gut instinct! _

 

And for the past week or so his entire  _ body _ had been screaming at him to come this way, yet Keith had heeded Allura’s instructions and not gone into the forest. And for what, a fear of beasts? A desire to follow the rules?

 

No. He had been scared. Scared of what he would find hidden away amongst the trees. 

 

He slowed as he approached a large oak, spying the rungs leading up to the first platform; knowing it was there even without seeing it.

 

_ I remember… _

 

He clambered up as quickly as he could, and the air was knocked from his lungs as he saw the blanket on the ground, littered with leaves and crumpled in the corner from the wind, but he knew it.

 

He  _ recognized  _ it!

_ I was here with someone. The same person I gave my jacket to. The same one I- _

 

He broke off, not knowing how to finish that thought. What had this person been to him? And why had he forgotten about them?

 

He knelt, picking up the blanket and shaking it out, and the waft of familiarity hit him like a bag of bricks.

 

Images of arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him close as he slept. The smell of sunshine and earth, mixed with mint toothpaste. A smile so bright it could rival the sun…

 

And blue. A blue so vast and deep and  _ warm _ that Keith felt himself soothed as he recalled it. 

 

_ Eyes. Those had been his eyes!  _

 

Keith fell to his knees, tears coming unbidden as he clenched the blanket and jacket to himself tightly, trying,  _ trying so hard _ , to remember who the boy had been. The one he had come to know and trust and…

 

And possibly more. 

 

_ Only...something happened. Something bad. _

 

His eyes landed on a oddly shaped crook in the tree, and he scrambled towards it, desperate to seek out the answers. He was close, he knew, and as soon as his hands drifted over the spot, Keith was hit with a sudden clarity. 

 

Like lifting a blanket from a cage and having the light of day shine in, blinding and overwhelming but welcome all at the same time! 

 

Keith remembered it all.

 

The one who had saved them in the clearing that day. 

 

The one he had despised at first, but had grown to care for deeply.

 

Short brown hair, long lanky limbs, strong arms.

 

A child of Aphrodite. A son of love. Radiant and wholesome and pure and-

 

_ How could I ever forget!? _

 

The test...the Blade of Marmora…

 

_ We had an argument. I said some horrible things… _

 

Tears were streaming down Keith’s face as he recalled, but he dared not wipe them away. 

 

_ And then the clearing...and-that girl! She, she did something! His sister! _

 

It was all too much to process, and Keith broke down, collapsing inwards as he cradled the items he held close to his chest. The memories poured down on him with the weight of a waterfall; crushing and relentless, but he figured he deserved to drown. Because he had forgotten about the one thing he had liked most about this camp. The one who shared a similar guilt; who made him smile and laugh despite it. 

 

The boy with pieces of the ocean stuck in his eyes. 

 

“Lance,” he sobbed into his jacket, seeing that joyful face, grin lopsided and teasing, behind his closed lids; fading away to darkness as he realized the amount of time that had gone by since the situation in the clearing. What had happened during those days? Why had Lance been taken, and why had they all  _ forgotten _ about him!? 

 

There was too much to contemplate, and though Keith knew his next course of action would be to tell the others what had occured, for the time being he was too overcome with grief to do much else but cry into the memories he had shared with the child of Aphrodite. 

 

“Lance,” he whispered again, feeling broken and hollow and empty.

 

Useless.

 

Confused.  

 

Shameful.

 

“Lance...where did you go?"

 

And then, in a voice barely audible in the wind in the trees:

 

"How can I find you?"


	2. Of Tears and Green Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wanted to run; to search, but at the same time all Keith could fathom managing was curling up in a ball in the corner and covering his head with his arms, pretending the outside world didn’t exist and that he would wake from this nightmare soon.
> 
> Lance would be there when his eyes reopened, smiling down at him with that crooked grin and teasing blue eyes. He would say something comforting, and maybe throw in a stupid joke that would make Keith laugh despite his panic. And then they would snuggle closer, and Lance would pull him in and secure him tightly between his arms, reassuring him that it was all just a dream, and that he was right there.
> 
>  _I’m not going anywhere,_ he would say, voice hushed and low. _I’m right here._
> 
> Oh how Keith wished for that. But no matter how hard he squeezed his eyes shut, or how many times he pinched his sides in an attempt to wake up, he remained in the hellscape of his mind: the reality in which Lance was missing.
> 
> And no one knew where to begin to look.

****There’s a moment at the crest of a swing, when gravity ceases to exist and a feeling of weightlessness takes over.

 

It’s a fleeting few seconds of suspension, as if the world no longer has any hold, and the body is merging with the sky. The stomach flips, whether pleasantly or sickeningly so depends on the individual, and if one were to close their eyes, they could pretend that the seat beneath them would continue moving upward, unbound by the chains that hold it in place. They could fly up into space, away from the troubles of Earth, or else grow wings and just let it all go.

 

Keith used to love those moments.

 

When he was younger, his mother would take him to the park when Shiro was in class and push him on the swings near their apartment. His legs would pump enthusiastically, eager to gain height and experience that momentary feeling of buoyancy in the clouds above. And she, in turn, would push him higher, _harder,_  at his request, not worried about him becoming frightened in any way.

 

Because Keith’s mother knew his limits, and she was aware of his independence. She would be there should he fall: to catch him or help him up, and _always_ bring him back down.

 

It was a mutual trust they shared, solidified in a shatter-proof case hardened by love.

 

So Keith would reach the highest point in the swing with the help of his mother, and he would shut his eyes tight as the moment took over. His hands would loosen their grip on the chains holding him down, and time would slow.

 

He imagined this is what it would feel like to be in outer space, surrounded by darkness and planets and a silence that his young mind could not begin to fathom. And he would think that _one day I’ll be an astronaut, and I’ll look down on Earth from up above it all._

 

But then the moment would end: gravity would reclaim its hold over him and pull him back to the ground. And he would laugh as his insides jumped, and work to reach that feeling of elation again.

 

Yeah...Keith used to love those moments.

 

Now though, after being hit with the realization that Lance was missing and everyone had seemingly forgotten, Keith felt like he was trapped at the crest of that swing: ever floating upwards, but not really getting anywhere.

 

It was disorientating, and _awful,_  and he wanted nothing more than to feel the jerk of the chains reminding him that he was still attached to _something:_ that he would be able to come back down.

 

But his mother wasn’t there to help him, and Shiro’s words weren’t grounding him in any way. In fact, he could hardly hear the panicked voices of his friends as they all spoke over one another in the main cabin, Allura frowning so deeply that her eyes had been half-concealed by thin white brows for the last hour.

 

Keith was above it all: mouth open and screaming but no sound emerging. He was in a dream. He _had_ to be.

 

There was just no way that Lance was _gone_.

 

And yet...here they all were, all the people Keith had come to know in his few short weeks being at the camp. All in one spot. All shouting. Most crying.

 

And the son of Aphrodite wasn’t among them.

 

It was an absence that hung heavy in the air of the cabin, but Keith was still stuck in that crest, and not even Shiro’s hand on his shoulder was doing much to comfort him.

 

_But I don’t need comforting right now. I need Lance!_

 

 _We-_ he mentally corrected. _We need Lance._

 

But Keith couldn’t help but feel like maybe he needed Lance just a little bit more than the others. He had known something was off those past weeks; something he hadn’t been able to name until having his jacket found tucked beneath the blankets of one of the bunks in the Aphrodite cabin.

 

_He must have been planning on keeping it for a little while longer…_

 

Keith would usually have smiled fondly at that realization, but instead he felt tears come unbidden to his eyes, and he cursed his ducts for filling with salty water and blurring his vision so abruptly.

 

He couldn’t cry right now. He had done his fair share of that already, up in the tree house where he and Lance had spent so much of their time.

 

_So much...it was hardly any time at all..._

 

 _But it was our time, meant only for us. And I_ forgot _about it! How could I have forgotten!!_

 

Shiro had found him curled up in a ball, clinging tightly to the blanket and jacket as he sobbed into them, shaking--apparently--and babbling incoherently. It had taken a solid hour for his brother to calm him enough to get an explanation, and as soon as Keith mentioned Lance’s name, Shiro’s eyes had grown wide, understanding.

 

_All we had needed was a name, and the spell had been broken._

 

Only, that was the thing. How in the _hell_ had they all been brainwashed to forget about Lance? Keith assumed that was what Allura was puzzling over now, or at least attempting to. It was likely difficult to focus on any one thought with six other people in the room asking questions no one knew the answers to.

 

“What happened?!”

 

“Where did he go?”

 

“Why did we _forget!?”_

 

Hunk was the only one keeping quiet aside from Keith. He was hunched in the corner, folded in on himself with his hands pulling tightly in his hair with Shay at his side, trying to soothe him. Keith let his attention focus there, and felt himself drift over without really knowing why.

 

Maybe because, of everyone there, Hunk knew Lance best. Even with Sabrina in the room, Keith had a gut feeling that the boy with the blue eyes he couldn’t erase from his mind would have told everything to the child of Demeter.

 

Every secret, every story.

 

Every crush...maybe.

 

But now was not the time to ponder such things, and as Keith slowly stepped forward into the space Hunk was occupying, dizzy and lightheaded and void of any feeling aside from shock, the boy looked up.

 

_Oh...he’s crying as well._

 

Hunk watched him for a long moment, or maybe it was a short one...Keith couldn’t tell anymore. All he knew was that Hunk was suddenly standing, and strong arms were wrapping him up in a tight embrace: all-encompassing and warm, but still not bringing him back down to Earth.

 

Keith wondered if anything ever would.

 

And then Hunk was sobbing: broad shoulders shaking uncaringly as he collapsed forward. Keith was too numb to do much else but stand there, his own arms trapped between himself and Hunk, but he remained on his feet.

 

And as Hunk cried and Shay rubbed circles into his back, Keith thought that perhaps he was being selfish in thinking that he needed Lance more than the others. In fact, maybe of everyone here, he needed Lance the _least._

 

His name had only been recently scrawled onto the list of people the boy knew, and Keith doubted that the ink had even fully dried yet.

 

_That’s right...we still barely know each other._

 

But that didn’t make the hurt any more bearable. If anything it added to the guilt and shame coiling tightly in his gut: the only emotions he could allow himself to feel as he hung in that stasis at the top of the swing.

 

When Hunk finally relinquished his hold, Keith didn’t move away. He didn’t think he could, but more than that, he wasn’t so sure he _wanted_ to. Being alone just wasn’t something he was keen on currently, which was odd for him. Usually being in a scenario such as this resulted in him seeking solitude to be with himself and his emotions, but for some reason Keith couldn’t bring himself to leave.

 

The mere idea of turning away and walking out that front door to face a world where Lance wasn’t in it was just so horribly unimaginable that Keith felt a wave of nausea wash over him briefly.

 

“I just-” Hunk’s voice was a beacon in the growing darkness, and Keith latched onto it, desperate not to be lost in his thoughts. “I can’t believe I forgot about him-” he broke off with a sob, hiding his face in his hands as Shay took over the role of chief comforter. “How could I have forgotten my _best_ _friend!”_

 

“Shh,” Shay soothed, and Keith pretended that her next words were meant for him as well. And who knew, maybe they were. “It’s not your fault. Something beyond our power and understanding occurred, and there was nothing you could do to fight it.”

 

“B-but I should have-” Hunk hiccuped into her shoulders as she pulled him in close. “I should have remembered _sooner!_ What if…” he trailed off, unable to finish, but Keith knew what he had been about to say.

 

Hell, it was on all of their minds, left unspoken but no less real.

 

_What if he’s gone._

 

And not just missing, but beyond their reach. No longer part of the mortal world.

 

Keith had been trying for the past two hours to suppress the thought of Lance being dead, but as time went on without a solid explanation to his whereabouts and the events that had lead up to them all forgetting, he was falling rather rapidly into a spiral of despair.

 

_Anything could have happened. Lance didn’t know anything about his sister. I mean, years had passed right?! What if she’s evil! What if she’s bitter! What if she-_

 

“-Keith!”

 

He blinked, head jerking up at the abrupt calling of his name, and he turned to see everyone staring at him save for Hunk, whose head was still tucked firmly in the nape of Shay’s neck.

 

Shiro approached, wrapping an arm around him protectively as Allura addressed him again.

 

“Keith, I need to know if Lance ever mentioned anything to you.”

 

_...Huh? About what?!_

 

There had been plenty he and Lance had discussed in their short time of knowing one another, and Allura had already grilled him on the details of the day leading up to Lance’s disappearance. It had been the first thing she had asked once Shiro had brought him to her office, distraught and numb as he was.

 

And Allura, though Keith knew she had gone through the same shock of remembrance as himself and Shiro, had been more adept at concealing it; her face barely betraying her as she immediately began to try and solve the riddle.

 

Keith had admired her courage, but after hours of questions that he didn’t know how to answer, his patience was at its end, and all the energy he had left was now focusing solely on keeping the dark thoughts of where Lance could be at bay.

 

It had been when she summoned everyone else to her office that Keith had been left to stew in his thoughts. Or, _drown_ really, seeing as he didn’t think he’d taken a proper breath all afternoon, and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, making him antsy and nervous with no outlet for the anxiety to go.

 

He wanted to run; to search, but at the same time all Keith could fathom managing was curling up in a ball in the corner and covering his head with his arms, pretending the outside world didn’t exist and that he would wake from this nightmare soon.

 

Lance would be there when his eyes reopened, smiling down at him with that crooked grin and teasing blue eyes. He would say something comforting, and maybe throw in a stupid joke that would make Keith laugh despite his panic. And then they would snuggle closer, and Lance would pull him in and secure him tightly between his arms, reassuring him that it was all just a dream, and that he was right there.

 

 _I’m not going anywhere,_ he would say, voice hushed and low. _I’m right here._

 

Oh how Keith _wished_ for that. But no matter how hard he squeezed his eyes shut, or how many times he pinched his sides in an attempt to wake up, he remained in the hellscape of his mind: the reality in which Lance was missing.

 

And no one knew where to begin to look.

 

“Keith!” Allura said again, stepping closer so his attention was on her. “Keith, _please_ , I need you to focus right now.”

 

_I can’t. I can barely hear you…_

 

“Keith, focus on me,” it was Shiro this time, and Keith let his eyes wander up into his brothers face. He saw the concern there, deeply etched in his features, and he knew that of all of them, Shiro had known Lance the least. He was still impacted of course, as all of them seemingly were, but it was easier for him to keep a level head about things. Keith tried to be like that; to distance himself from the situation in order to clear his head. “Breathe. Try and remain calm.”

 

He could only do the first part of Shiro’s request, not knowing what calm was at this point, and took an unsteady breath as he nodded slightly at Allura to go on.

 

“I need to know if Lance ever mentioned anything to you about his past,” she asked, voice firm but hushed, reminding him distractingly of a librarian scolding a rambunctious student. “He told me some things but I _must_ know if there was more.”

 

Keith nodded again, not fully registering her request.

 

_She wants to know what Lance told me about his past? Why does the past matter? We need to focus on the future...on the now!_

 

_We need to find Lance!_

 

But he didn’t say that. _Couldn’t_ say that. All he could manage was a mumbled few words that Allura had to strain to hear.

 

“His sister...”

 

“What did he say about her,” Allura pressed, her lips a tight line as she edged closer.

 

Keith shook his head. It was easy to recall the snippets of conversation he and Lance had shared, but it was heart-wrenching at the same time. He didn’t have _time_ to be sitting around idle while Lance was out there alone.

 

Or worse, _not_ alone. What if he was being held hostage? Or kidnapped and after being sold into some weird gang? There was so much he didn’t know about the world with Gods and Goddesses. So many dangers he had yet to learn of.

 

The possibilities were endless, and the more Keith thought about it, the faster his pulse raced, until he felt hands reaching around to hold him up as his legs gave out, and Shiro cursed under his breath at having to suddenly support his entire weight.

 

“Get him some water, or _something_ ,” Allura demanded, but of who, Keith didn’t notice. She knelt in front of him as he was sat in a chair, reaching out to take his hand in hers and squeezing gently. “Please, Keith. I need all the pieces if I’m to solve this.”

 

_She’s right…_

 

“He said she was powerful, like him,” he managed to get out as he rocked back and forth in place, and Allura nodded for him to go on. Keith forced himself to do so. “He said she could command people to do what she wanted. Only she was better at it then he was...and-and she’s the reason-” he broke off, rage rushing to fill the void inside him as he recalled the face of Lance’s twin sister, so similar physically but an entirely different person beneath.

 

_His own flesh and blood. And she betrayed him!_

 

_Betrayed all of us!_

 

_And for what?!_

 

He ignored the glass of water that was pressed against his hand, instead clenching his fists as he made to stand again.

 

“That’s why we couldn’t remember! She made it so we would forget!”

 

_How did I not think of that before?!_

 

But Allura didn’t seemed shocked by the information. In fact, she was shaking her head as if in disappointment, and it made Keith's insides drop quicker than a boulder through air.

 

“I’ve already come to that conclusion,” she informed him. “It seems we were all under the influence of Charmspeak, only…” she shivered, which was uncomforting, “only I’ve never known such a powerful demigod. At least not one not of the big three. For a child to possess the ability to make an entire camp of godly children forget a comrade….it’s unnatural. And, to be perfectly honest,” she sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair as she turned her back to them. “To be honest it frightens me.”

 

Keith felt a shiver run through his body; one that he knew would be hard to shake. Everyone in the room had gone silent, save for Hunk’s occasional sniffle as he worked to calm his tears. Coran approached Allura, but offered no reassurance.

 

_And how could he. There’s nothing to reassure. Lance is gone and we have nothing to go on._

 

It was Pidge who spoke next, the tears on her face having dried as she pushed off the desk she had been supported against.

 

“Listen, there has to be something we can do. I mean, sure, none of us have freaky superpowers to control others, but that doesn’t mean we’re completely useless! I can make something to track Lance...or find a way to locate demigod kids outside the barrier...or-”

 

“Yes!” Shay added, and Hunk lifted his head to stare into her face as she went on. “Yes I could help with that! There must be a way to pinpoint powerful demigod children. Especially one like this girl-”

 

“I’ve been researching that for years,” Allura said softly, and any growing hope was quickly diminished with her next words. “And to no avail. It would be too risky to send out groups searching anyway. Not when we’re up against someone so powerful and without knowing the cause behind the attack-”

 

“So we do _nothing!?”_

 

Keith hadn’t know his voice would come out as loudly as it had, but his words rang fierce around the cabin, earning him the startled stares of everyone in the room. He couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

It was Allura who recovered first.

 

“Not until I can come up with a plan of action-” she tried, but Keith cut her off, his anger bubbling over and allowing him to focus better than he had been able to all day. Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt the hesitant tug of a chain, and he latched onto that feeling with both hands, ready to pull himself back down to earth.

 

“So we just let him stay _missing!?”_ he went on, eyes still blurry but no longer actively leaking. “We don’t even _try_ to look for him?!”

 

Shiro opened his mouth to say something, likely an issuance to remain calm, but Keith didn’t give him the chance.

 

“No! I won’t sit still anymore! We need to form a search party and start looking. It’s been too long already, and Lance-” his voice cracked, the raw emotion that accompanied saying Lance’s name out loud only acting to solidify the fact that he was gone. Keith inhaled brokenly, biting the inside of his cheek and focusing on the pain in order to go on.  He needed off this swing. He needed to focus.

 

He needed Lance.

 

“We need to find him. Now.”

 

He hadn’t really been expecting anyone to agree with him. Sure, he knew he was right, and that the rest of the group likely agreed with him in one way or another, but Allura was much more level-headed compared to his brash decision making, so he was fully anticipating resistance to his statement; his demand.

 

Hunk surprised him.

 

“I agree with Keith,” he said, and Allura’s brows flew high on her forehead as she turned towards the boy. He stood straight, detangling from Shay’s arms and wiping beneath his eyes with his thumb. “We need to find Lance.”

 

_Woah…_

 

Keith was filled with an unexpected flame of optimism; one that had the potential to light the path that led to finding their friend. With Hunk on his side, Keith felt like he could take on the entire world.

 

_No one can say no to Hunk._

 

“We _will_ find him,” Allura stated immediately, not allowing her initial surprise to weaken her authority. “We just need time, and a proper plan…” but there was a lack of assurity in her voice that caused the sentence to fall flat. It was Pidge who spoke next.

 

“Too much time has gone by. We need to act!”

 

_Wow, they’re agreeing with me!_

 

But celebrations were not on Keith’s mind, and he saw Allura swallow thickly as she took a step back.

 

“If we do something now without a strategy then it will only result in more confusion and-”

 

“If we wait any longer then we run the risk of being too late!” Keith interrupted, clutching onto the fire building within him; using it as a focal point to derive his strength. He hated to admit his worries out loud, but he knew the others were all thinking the same things. All he needed was to tip the scale in his favour, and for that he needed Allura to see it his way. “It’s been almost a _week_ with Lance missing, and we’ve done absolutely nothing about it! Do you have any idea how far someone can get in a _day_ ?! Much less _seven?!_ He could be anywhere at this point, and each minute we spend talking about what to do is another minute Lance gets farther out of reach.”

 

There was a thick silence that followed his outburst, made worse by the fresh onslaught of tears that filled Hunk’s eyes as Keith turned his gaze on him.

 

_Oh no…_

 

He hadn’t _ever_ been a pity crier, but seeing Hunk break down all over again had Keith doing very much the same, and he collapsed into the chair with his face in his hands; teeth digging into his lower lip in an effort to ward off the sob that was very much threatening to escape.

 

_Fuck I can’t do this right now! I need to be strong!_

 

A hand landed on his back, rubbing circles into the fabric of his shirt in a familiar, comforting manner….one his mother used to do whenever he worked himself up into a panic.

 

_Shiro…_

 

“Shh, it’s alright, just breathe,” his brother murmured as he crouched down beside him, making sure no one else heard his words but Keith. “In and out. Push against my hand.”

 

The weight on his back increased in pressure, and Keith took a deep lungful of air to push Shiro’s hand upwards, feeling it fall back down with his shoulders as he exhaled.

 

“Good,” his brother said, “again.”

 

Keith did as he was instructed, and after several breaths his tears eased, and he was able to cease the shaking in his legs. The pressure of Shiro’s hand didn’t leave his back however, and it was only when Keith lifted his head to smile weakly up at him did his brother relent.

 

“Thank you,” he whispered, and Shiro nodded, not making to stand.

 

“Listen, I know things are confusing and stressful and _awful_ right now, but what we need is to focus.” He spoke louder this time, so that the others could hear the words directed at Keith. “Lance is strong. You know this. Everyone here knows this.”

 

Keith blinked numbly, feeling the tears that had stuck to his lashes shake free. The room was silent, everyone listening to what Shiro had to say as he went on.

 

“Getting ourselves worked up and angry isn’t going to help solve anything. We need to keep our heads, formulate a plan, and not _blame_ ourselves for what happened. It was no one's fault. And from my understanding, there was nothing we could have done to remember sooner. That means-” he stood, directing his attention to the others, “-no more feeling guilty. No more wishing we could go back and stop it from happening. No more imagining the worst scenarios possible. I may not have known Lance as well as the rest of you, but even I saw that there was more to him than initially met the eye. He’s an incredible fighter, and he’s level-headed. We need to trust in him as much as he’s likely trusting in us.”

 

Allura was nodding; her expression a curious combination of awe and admiration. Hunk’s lower lip was trembling, but his jaw was rigid with determination. Even Pidge looked inspired by what Shiro had said.

 

Keith could only gape up at his brother, who turned back to him with a teasing smile.

 

“Besides, if he can put up with this guy,” he ruffled Keith’s hair messily, “everything else should be a walk in the park.”

 

A collective laugh filled the air of the cabin, and though it was weak and heavily tainted by melancholy and uncertainty, it was still a laugh. Keith’s own lips twitched upwards as he shoved Shiro’s hand away and stood, infinitesimally grateful to have his brother there.

 

 _Thank you Shiro,_ he thought. _You’re right. Lance isn’t some delicate flower. I mean, yes, he’s gotten himself hurt a bunch, and our last conversation was…._

 

_Well it wasn’t the best, but I know I was overreacting now. Lance is a demigod. He’ll be alright._

 

But as much as Keith’s inner monologue was meant to act as comfort, there was still a small section of his brain that was spewing what-ifs, and try as he might to ignore them, Keith knew they would only ever be silenced when he had Lance safely tucked in the space between his arms.

 

“That was well said Shiro,” Coran’s voice brought Keith out of his thoughts, and he turned his attention back on the man with mild shock, having forgotten he was even in the room. He had been oddly silent for the majority of the meeting, and now that Keith was paying attention, he could see the way the man’s eyes glistened in the lighting of the cabin, as if with unshed tears.

 

_I wonder how well he knew Lance…_

 

He didn’t have to ponder long, as Coran continued to speak as he moved to stand next to Allura once more.

 

“Lance has always been brave. From the moment I first found him in the woods, broken and lost and alone, he never once cried. Even with his memories gone and his entire world flipped upside-down, not once did he complain. He’s a force to be reckoned with, that boy, and I almost pity the person who took him from us.”

 

Keith stared at the mustached man, and once again felt a stab of guilt for thinking he needed Lance more than the others here. How selfish of him to assume the child of Aphrodite meant the most to himself. Lance, it seemed, had given a piece of his heart to everyone in this room, probably even beyond it, and Keith wondered just how many were aching over his absence.

 

The door swung open suddenly, causing them all to jump at the intrusive sound of wood slamming against wall, and Keith whipped around to see Sabrina standing in the doorway, red-faced and out of breath.

 

 _When did she leave the room-_ Keith wondered, but was cut off as the girl spoke.

 

“The Oracle! Now! Go!”

 

And she took off, leaving only Keith and Shiro hesitant and remaining as the group lurched into action, following after Sabrina with wide eyes and anxious glances.

 

“What-” Shiro began, and Shay paused long enough to gesture for them to come along. They did, and caught up to Allura as she bombarded Sabrina with questions as they rushed off to some section of camp Keith had yet to explore.

 

“What happened?!” she was demanding of Lance’s half-sister, trying her best to stall the girl long enough to get a proper reply. “Why were you at the Oracle?!”

 

“You _know_ why,” Sabrina shot back, avoiding Allura’s eyes as she stormed ahead of the group. “We were wasting time just standing around arguing. I _needed_ to see-”

 

“You know the rules! Campers are not permitted to visit the Oracle unless summoned-”

 

“Allura for once in your life can you try and think about something other than fucking _rules?!_ ” Sabrina spat, and the hostility in her words was enough to cause Allura to pause. Sabrina took that opportunity to go on, ignoring the look she received from Coran. “Lance is my _brother!_ And we all _forgot_ about him! For _days_! I couldn’t just stand around wondering what happened to him!”

 

“Young lady be wary of who you are speaking with,” Coran warned, but Sabrina wasn’t listening.

 

“Even _you_ can’t be so cold-hearted as to let Lance remain lost while we sit around drinking tea trying to make a plan that we all know isn’t going to get us anywhere but further away from him. Who knows what happened to him...what _could be_ happening right now!” She stopped then, shoulders heaving in what Keith assumed was rage. But as Sabrina glanced up to face their camp leader directly, Keith realized that the girl was crying; tears fat and heavy as they slid down her cheeks. But still her voice remained steady, and Keith commended her ability to stay so strong given the situation.

 

_Children of Aphrodite really are amazing…_

 

“I had to know if the Oracle knew anything. I’m well aware of the dangers Allura. But Lance is worth taking a few risks for.”

 

Allura looked as though she were debating on whether to scold Sabrina or congratulate her, and must have settled for something in between, as her next words were resigned and somewhat defeated.

 

“Just tell me what happened.”

 

Sabrina nodded, not bothering to wipe her tears away as she did as asked.

 

“There was nothing at first. She was silent, and still, and...well, _dead_ , like always.”

 

_Um...what?_

 

Keith shared a worried look with Shiro, but was too caught up by Sabrina’s explanation of her whereabouts to question the whole ‘dead’ thing further.

 

“But then something green started to form behind her eyes, and I _may_ have tripped over one of the offerings, and then all at once it was like I was in Hades surrounded by green flames. There was no heat though, and I’m fine-” Sabrina added quickly as Allura opened her mouth, “-but I ran back as quickly as I could to tell you.”

 

“Were any words spoken?” Allura demanded, leaving Keith baffled as to why _that_ seemed to be her one concern when clearly Sabrina had just described something out of a horror movie.

 

The girl shook her head, hair falling passed her shoulders as she stared up at the daughter of Athena.

 

“No. Only screaming. I-I wasn’t sure what to do, and….oh gods, what if I just ruined our only shot at saving Lance! What if I pissed off the Oracle and now she won’t give us a-”

 

“Hush,” Allura interrupted, and Sabrina’s mouth snapped shut. Keith glanced around, expecting to hear something, but the area was oddly silent, not even a breeze to make the leaves rattle.

 

“Is everything-”

 

“Shh!” Allura cut Shiro off before he could finish, and he froze in place. “Do you hear that?”

 

The all held their breath, no one daring to move lest Allura silence them for good, but Keith couldn’t hear anything. From the looks of everyone else around him, he wasn’t the only one.

 

“Allura-” Coran tried, but trailed off as a very distinct hoot sounded from the branches above them. And then a massive bird flew out of the canopy of a nearby tree and startled them all as it took off in the opposite direction, wings wide and silent.

 

_Was that an...owl?_

 

_In the middle of the afternoon?!_

 

Keith and Shiro appeared to be the only ones not fully comprehending what had just occurred, as the others were all staring at Allura expectantly.

 

It was the first time Keith had seen her smile since finding out about Lance.

 

“What was that?” he asked when no one else spoke, feeling foolish since _clearly it was an owl_ , but knowing this camp, it was always safer to ask. Allura blinked, keeping her gaze on the spot the owl had taken off, and then nodded once.

 

“I understand,” was all she said, and took off down a small hillside that led down to the beach. The others followed, and Keith managed to grab Pidge’s arm to ask her for clarity.

 

“Am I missing something?” he asked, and she shook her head as she glanced back at the spot the owl had been perched. And was it just him, or did Pidge seem...somewhat nervous?

 

“It doesn’t happen very often,” she mumbled, and Keith had to crane to hear her as they hurried after Allura. “But sometimes the gods and goddesses will send messages or requests. I think Allura just got one.”

 

“What? _How?_ ” Keith breathed, and Pidge huffed as she jumped down from a large rock onto the sand below, following the group as they made their way to an outcropping in the cliff side.

 

“Athena’s sacred symbol is the owl dummy.”

 

_Huh?!_

 

“Wait, you think that bird was a _God_?”

 

“Goddess,” Pidge corrected, nodding as she did. “And of course! We don’t have owls in these parts, and they don’t fly around during the day either! So yes, it was probably Athena.”

 

 _Holy shit..._ Keith thought as Pidge ran ahead, suddenly curious about what sort of beast Ares was represented by. He was hit with an unexpected wave of fear as he recalled how he had taunted his godly father into fighting him mere weeks before, not fully comprehending just how foolish that had been.

 

_I didn’t know they could actually take other forms...I guess. I didn’t think they were that powerful._

 

_No wonder Lance was so concerned._

 

_Lance…_

 

Keith was reminded of the situation at hand, and sprinted to catch up with the others. Allura had seemingly disappeared into the side of the cliff, but as Keith approached he saw that the rocks formed some sort of optical illusion that hid a cavern rather efficiently from sight. He paused for only a moment as he watched the rest of the group enter in single-file, and then held his breath as he strode into darkness.

 

His eyes had no time to adjust, for as soon as he joined the others, a green light began pulsating faintly from somewhere up ahead. Allura motioned for them to be silent, then glanced back to see Keith at the back of the group, and her eyes widened almost comically as she gestured for him to move up.

 

He did, eyes darting between her and the green light, which was growing stronger with each step forward he took, until all at once the room was filled with a blinding flash of colour, and Sabrina immediately covered her ears as a ghostly apparition rose from-

 

_Holy fuck that’s a skeleton!_

 

Keith had no time to properly react. Both Sabrina, Shay and Coran darted from the room, ears covered and eyes shut tight, and Keith saw everyone else but Allura watch in utter bewilderment as the figure approached.

 

“What is going on?” Shiro asked, voice shaking somewhat as he witnessed the varying reactions to the apparition. “Allura?”

 

She moved to his side, leaving Keith in the center of the room as the figure halted, and then words were filling his head; loud and clear and booming, as if he was standing near a speaker at a pep-rally.

 

**_“Keith Kogane, son of Ares-”_ **

 

“What the hell-”

 

“Shh!” Allura silenced him, and try as he might to move backwards away from whatever it was before him, he was frozen in place, unable to do anything as the green ghost continued its commentary.

 

**_“-You have a destiny to fulfill.”_ **

 

“I- _what_?” Keith tried again, but was cut off as the apparition held up two wispy hands, and the green light it was apparently made from glowed a shade brighter, causing him to squint at the brightness.

 

**_“Do you accept?”_ **

 

_What the FUCK?!_

 

“Accept what?” he managed to get out, and when the spirit failed to answer, he turned to Allura with growing panic. “Accept _what?!”_

 

“Just say yes!” she instructed, and Keith shared a worried glance with Shiro, who looked more confused than ever, before turning back to face the being standing before him.

 

_Holy shit what is going on-_

 

**_“Do you accept?”_ **

 

“Uh, yes-” he said, wary and hesitant, but that was all that was needed. As soon as the word was out the green light expanded to encompass the entirety of the room, filling every corner in lime hues and causing the others to all shield their eyes at the intensity of it all. But Keith, oddly enough, wasn’t affected by the light, and watched as the swirling mist morphed into the shape of a woman, who smiled down at him as waves of energy rolled off her robes and was absorbed into the surrounding rock.

 

**_“Gods will meet upon our land, forced to fight by their command. Two in blood from mothers’ womb, love and words will bring our doom. Fire, Earth and Metal’s might, work to stop the faithful night. Only truth will seize the war, spoken aloud not once before.”_ **

 

And akin to blowing out a candle, the room was engulfed in darkness as the figure of the woman vanished, leaving only a faint trail of mist rising up from the mouth of the skeleton near the back of the room. Keith wasn’t sure what to do...what to think or say. So instead he stood with his feet firmly rooted in place, not daring to breathe as the words of the ghostly woman echoed and solidified in his brain, as if each letter was being engraved in stone.

 

It was Shiro who spoke first.

 

“What was _that!?_ ”

 

Allura inhaled deeply, moving away from him and towards Keith, where she took him by the arm and led him out of the room with the others close behind.

 

“What-” he tried to ask, mind wheeling as it struggled to process _half_ of what had just gone down. “What-”

 

“A prophecy,” Allura informed him, and Keith’s vision swam dangerously. Sabrina was at his side immediately once they were out of the cavern, and he focused on her grip on his arm as she squeezed tight and demanded to know what had occurred.

 

“I don’t...Allura?” he turned to her again, and the child of Athena hastily took out a small notebook from her back pocket and scribbled something down.

 

“A prophecy,” she repeated, and Sabrina gasped.

 

“ _What?!_ Keith got a _prophecy?!”_

 

“That explains why all we heard was screaming,” Shay commented, going to Hunk as he stared blankly at the ground. “Clearly only you guys were meant to hear it.”

 

“I didn’t hear anything…” Shiro mentioned, and Allura nodded absently as she read over her notes. “What happened? Someone please explain-”

 

“That was the Oracle,” Coran spoke up, moving to Allura’s side. “A powerful being that grants demigods quests with only cryptic riddles to guide them on their way. Only those who the quest was meant for can hear the prophecy spoken by the Oracle, which means you,” he pointed towards Hunk and Pidge, “and _especially_ you,” he said upon turning towards Keith, “have been chosen. But as for you,” Coran’s hand moved to face Shiro, “I have no idea why you were allowed to remain…”

 

“Because he’s human,” Allura explained, finally appearing to snap out of whatever brief trance she had been in. She faced them all, eyes alight and knowing, as Keith was used to seeing them.

 

_That’s a good sign…_

 

“Humans cannot see or hear the Oracle. But Shiro can see through the Mist, so there are some magics his eyes can discern.”

 

“I’m still confused,” Keith mumbled; the echoes of the ghostly woman’s words difficult to ignore. “I don’t...what does it mean? What is going on?”

 

“It means we’re going on a quest!” Pidge chimed in, jumping up and down in spot as she smacked Hunk’s arm lightly. “A quest! A real one!”

 

“A...quest?” Keith repeated. “We don’t have time for that! We need to focus on finding Lance!”

 

“No, wait, you don’t understand,” Hunk said calmly, placing a reassuring hand on Keith’s shoulder as he smiled down at him. “This is how we’re going to find him. This is a _good_ thing!”

 

_HOW!?_

 

“But it made no sense!” he argued, tossing his hands up in the air as he began to pace back and forth in the sand. “All she said was gibberish about war and gods and-”

 

“Hold up, _what?!_ ” Sabrina interrupted him, rushing to stand in front of him with a horrified expression. “What was the prophecy _exactly!”_

 

“I-”

 

“Sabrina, that is enough,” Allura demanded, and the girl took a few steps back from Keith as the camp leader approached. “You have no authority to ask such questions. The quest was given to these three. Only them and myself, as leader of this camp, were chosen to hear it-”

 

“Bullshit!” Sabrina cut in, shocking everyone. “Shiro got to hear it and he’s not even a demigod!”

 

“Technically I didn’t hear anything-”

 

“And we’ve _always_ been allowed to hear the prophecies before, at least once they were given, even those not meant for us!” Sabrina went on, ignoring Shiro. “So why the Hades is it suddenly different? Lance is _my_ brother! I should be the one going to look for him!”

 

“I have no control over the Oracle,” Allura reasoned, but Sabrina was thoroughly pissed off and thus not listening.

 

“How is it fair that _these_ three get to go and _I_ don’t! And why was _Keith_ of all people chosen for the quest! He’s known Lance the _least_ of everyone here!”

 

“Sabrina-” Allura warned, but Keith spoke up before she could finish.

 

“No, she’s right.”

 

Everyone turned to face him with varying degrees of surprise on their faces, and Keith swallowed thickly as he kicked at a nearby shell.

 

“I haven’t known Lance for as long as the rest of you, and I’m just as confused as you Sabrina,” he went on, and the daughter of Aphrodite watched him with wide, glassy eyes. “But even if I hadn’t been chosen to go on this...this _quest_ by some green ghost _thing,_ I would have gone to find him anyways.”

 

“Keith-” Shiro tried, and Keith smiled sadly up at him.

 

“You know I would have Shiro.”

 

His brother looked ready to argue, but must have realized the truth behind Keith’s words, and chose to nod solemnly instead.

 

“Yeah...I know. And I would have gone with you.”

 

_I know you would have. Which is why I’m relieved it happened this way. Now I have a reason to go look for Lance and not have to drag you back into danger._

 

_You’ll be safe here Shiro._

 

He turned back to Sabrina, who had her bottom lip held in a thin line as she glared up at Keith. He wasn’t sure what else to say to her, but apparently nothing else was needed. She broke down a moment later, and tossed her arms around Keith’s neck as she sobbed into his shirt.

 

“Bring him back,” she choked out, and Keith felt his own emotions well up inside him once again, threatening tears as he shut his eyes and returned her embrace. “Please, just...bring him back.”

 

“I will,” he whispered into her hair, and she broke away with a small nod, before turning back towards the cabin with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

 

“I should make sure she’s alright,” Shay murmured to Hunk, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before running off after the girl. Keith watched them leave for a moment longer, before returning his full attention on the remainders of the group. His gaze landed on Allura, who held it easily.

 

“What do we do now?” he asked, and she straightened her shoulders as she inhaled through her nose.

 

“Now,” she said firmly, _confidently,_ as she turned to stare at each of them, nodding in what could only be interpreted as approval. She closed her notebook and placed it back in her pocket before cracking her knuckles and grinning as her eyes narrowed.

 

It was a frightening expression, but Keith knew better than to be scared. This was Allura with hope; Allura knowing what to do and eager to begin.

 

Allura with a plan.

 

Maybe it was an Athena trait, being so intensely driven and downright frightening when the pieces began to fall into place, but Keith couldn’t help but feel motivated as her fierce gaze settled on him.

 

“Now we prepare you for your quest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo hooohoo >:)

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](https://www.vulpes--vulpes@tumblr.com)


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